SACRAMENTO – After a few minutes of James Harden dominating and the fast break flying, the Rockets only real concern became how much damage DeMarcus Cousins might inflict.

He bumped knees with Dwight Howard in the first quarter, sending Howard to the training room. But Howard soon returned, showing no signs he would be grounded.

Cousins had to be restrained after a third-quarter technical foul after he was called for pushing Howard on an alley-oop. But Rudy Gay fulfilled that new part of his job description. Cousins then went after official Courtney Kirkland, held back by still-powerful Kings assistant Corliss Williamson.

With that, Cousins’ night and the entertainment his tantrums offered were over.

The Kings chances were done long before, with the Rockets only real challenge was assuring the blowout early enough to give their starters the fourth quarter off. With Harden scoring a season-high 43, three shy of his career high, the Rockets tore through the Kings, 129-103, with no one having to put in too much work before facing the Clippers Wednesday in Los Angeles.

Harden had the longest night on the court, filling his 31 minutes with 11-of-20 shooting, 15-of-16 from the free-throw line, eight assists and three steals. This was nothing new for Harden, who had scored 167 points in his previous six games against Sacramento, the most in the NBA the past two seasons.

He made 6 of 9 3-pointers and after struggling with his shooting touch after hurting his foot in Sacramento Dec. 15, has made 41.1 percent of his 3s in February while averaging 27.3 points and 5.3 assists.

Howard, who has also rolled through the month, returned to play 25 minutes, making 7 of 9 shots for his 20 points with 11 rebounds.

Newly acquired Jordan Hamilton moved into the rotation and had a strong Rockets debut with 12 points and five rebounds, most before the benches were cleared.

That does not mean he put up numbers before the rout was certain, since that was taken care of soon after the opening tip.

The Rockets led by 31 in the first half and by as many as 33 in the third quarter. They entered to the fourth up 104-77 and well on their way to a 17th consecutive win when scoring at least 100 points, the longest such streak in the NBA. The last time the Rockets scored 100 and lost was New Year’s Eve against the Kings.

The Rockets had already topped 60 in the first half for the eighth time in 10 games and after scoring a season-high 42 points in the first quarter led after a quarter for the 10th consecutive game.

For much of the night, the Rockets only concern seemed to be about Howard’s right knee after he bumped it with Cousins and limped slowly to the locker room. After a quick exam he pulled on a compression sleeve and then rode the bike. He did not remain out for long, but the way things were going, that seemed about the only thing capable of distracting from the Rockets blowout.

Harden did not just roll though the first quarter, he toyed with the Kings. He blasted past them with Euro-steps. He ran up their backs on fast breaks. He stepped back to nail 3-pointers.

He poured in 22 first-quarter points, showing the whole repertoire. Even with Howard in the locker room and Harden finally sitting to start the second quarter, the Rockets pushed the lead to 31 and it seemed both might be able to catch an early flight to Los Angeles.

It did not work out that way. The Kings pieced together an 8-0 run to make the game feel worthwhile. They even began defending Harden, swarming to him on the dribble and taking their chances after he gave up the ball.

After that one brief lull, the Rockets continued to score easily, but they fouled the Kings so often, they not only propped up the Kings offense, they took the fast break away from theirs. The 31-point lead was trimmed to 18 by halftime.

That was not enough to change the way the game would go. That was clear from the start. The only remaining goal was to come away without anyone having to play much longer than Cousins’ 21 furious minutes.